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Launching Heroic Journeys

UCO faculty are urged to remember that every UCO student is in the midst of a heroic journey.

One Student’s Journey

Graduate Raistland Valenzuela’s experience at UCO took him down paths he never dreamed.

Remembering, Serving, Succeeding

Journeys encompass not only the individual’s experience, but also those of others along the way — sometimes amazing people.

Vaughan Family Hero

Sometimes, the journey of someone in the past reaches out to touch the lives of those in the here and now.

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Heroes with Flaws?

Alumnus and journalism professor Joe Hight voices his support for the journeys of mere mortals and their flaws.

Needing More than a Roof

The serious journeys of many start young, burdened with heavy circumstances beyond their control.

Conducting a Tribute

Having announced his retirement, President Betz has been collecting honors, but perhaps none as indelible as this surprise.

Honoring Our Own

Meet UCO’s latest group of Distinguished Alumni Award recipients and learn about their journeys of distinction.

...a magazine published by the University of Central Oklahoma for its alumni and friends.

On the Cover

“Heroic Journeys” — the intriguing idea as a theme for this issue of Old North magazine proved to be more rich and multilayered than imagined. Readers may find validation of their own journeys or inspiration for new ones. May they all be enlightening, transformative and fun!

Old North Staff

UCO President Don Betz

Vice President, University Communications Charles Johnson

Editor Gypsy Hogan (BA ’74)

Art Director Craig Beuchaw (BA ’92)

Photographic Services Daniel Smith (BA ’77, MEd ’93)

Alumni Records Wendy Lackmeyer

Old North (USPS 098-220) is published twice a year by the University of Central Oklahoma, through the office University Communications, 100 North University Drive, Edmond, OK 73034-5209.

POSTMASTER:

Encouraging Our Commitment to Learning

Hello to all! It is fall at UCO.

Mother Nature treated us kindly this summer, including rain at unexpected, but appreciated times. The campus has been green and lush thanks in large measure to the consistent efforts of our masterful Facilities team. Each day they tend the grounds and buildings, producing an environment our visitors regularly compliment as lovely and inviting.

Homecoming 2018 was punctuated by exceptional student involvement, memorable ceremonies for the Athletics Hall of Fame and the Alumni Association, honoring six distinguished alumni. It likely also will be remembered for the rainstorm almost precisely timed to cancel the parade, but not dampen the enthusiasm of our students nor the participation of alumni in the planned events.

They personify one of UCO’s enduring virtues: an indomitable spirit.

The campus landscape and skyline continues to change. Even a recent visitor will discover new facilities rising to replace 60-year-old buildings, as well as new space to enhance student learning.

In late September, the Sports Performance Center opened to rave reviews. It is designed to serve our student athletes and their coaches in pursuit of athletic and academic success. Unique among stateof-the-art sport venues, the new facility features an academic success center staffed with accessible mentors and space to focus on the athletes in pursuit of their degrees. This latest addition to UCO was completed with no state support. It will impact students for decades.

In mid-November, UCO will proudly open the STEM Research and Learning Center. This unique 56,000-square-foot facility will encourage interdisciplinary learning, guided by our student-focused UCO faculty.

It will underscore UCO’s durable commitment to undergraduate research as one of the key high impact practices in our

cultivation and pursuit of transformative, lifelong learning. STEM is an integral component of the College of Mathematics and Science, but other disciplines are actively invited into the interdisciplinary environment. From the first days of its design, STEM was created to meet the growing demand for graduates, educated and motivated to fill positions throughout the metro and the state, in the full spectrum of these sought-after areas of expertise.

There is more on the horizon. The 55,000-square-foot South Wing of the College of Liberal Arts is rising, the first substantive change in the Liberal Art’s home since the mid-1960s. The South Wing is focused on student collaboration and connection, and on creating fresh faculty office and classroom space. We will dedicate sometime in June 2019 the South Wing and its physical connection to the original Liberal Arts building.

More to follow in the next letter on the new Dining Center and the North Hamilton Annex, which creates locker rooms for UCO women’s sports and the practice area mats for our highly competitive, award-winning wrestling team. These initiatives represent UCO’s

continuing commitment to the OKC Metro, Oklahoma and to its citizens to offer personal, exceptional public higher education. We are able to continue to fulfill our responsibilities to the people of the metro in this dynamic way thanks to philanthropy, partnerships and student support.

I personally invite you to rediscover your Central this fall and spring. Come and join us as we open new facilities and prepare students for professional and personal success in a perpetually changing and challenging environment. I am confident you will find UCO and its committed faculty and dedicated staff clearly focused on student success and on building the dynamic future of the metro, state and country.

My sincere best wishes,

Don Betz

President Betz visiting with students on campus, one of his favorite things to do.

Launching Heroic Journeys

By Jeff King, Ed.D. Executive Director for UCO’s Transformative Learning

For those who are past the college years, it’s easy to forget how dramatic that time of life is, for both traditional and nontraditional students.

As faculty, I think we need to be attuned to that — that this is a full life-transition for our students, requiring more of us than teaching content and skills. We need to help our students through a time of transformation as they take their own heroic journeys, whether they are 18 or 55 years old.

We also need to be aware that as faculty, we, too, are on heroic journeys of self-discovery. The art of asking ourselves questions is something to cultivate on our heroic journeys as college professors, and it also is a shortcut to helping students experience transformative discoveries.

The classic hero’s journey has an individual leaving the security of home for an adventure into the unknown. To succeed, the individual must question old ways of thinking, explore new possibilities, then return home to share new understandings.

It’s a journey any of us can take at any time in life — if we’re willing.

Penn State biology professor Chris Uhl has developed a reputation for helping each student in his 400-person environmental science class begin their journeys. He encourages students to get over their “fear” of questions, instead taking “delight” in them. He challenges them to discover what they are “unwilling to experience” and see how it limits their lives. He also encourages journaling — “to record the story of their journey.”

One of his assignments is known as “100 Questions.” He asks students to make a list of 100 personal questions, “things about themselves that they would like to understand.” He asks that they make the list in one sitting, writing quickly, not concerned about spelling or grammar. His one requirement — ask questions that are deemed significant.

His examples range from, “How can I save money?” to “How can I have more fun?” to “What is the meaning and purpose of my existence?”

What Uhl has found is that the first 20 questions tend to be off the top of the head. As the questions continue, however, themes begin to emerge, questions from deep within come forth. And students begin to see paths for their own heroic journey emerge.

It’s a lesson — and a challenge — that we can all use to open ourselves to heroic journeys of seeing the world in a new way.

One Student’s Journey

When Raistland Valenzuela began at UCO in 2015, a simple email inviting him to join the Hispanic Success Initiative sparked his amazing journey.

He began to see himself as capable of more than he imagined, developing leadership skills he didn’t know he had while opening up to others about his own life and struggles.

By the time he graduated in spring 2018, he had gone from being a member of the Hispanic Success Initiative to being a “peer fellow” to a “lead peer fellow” — meaning he went from being helped to significantly helping others grow.

He found that “not only do I have the grit to be a leader … but I’ve learned that being a leader is not about making all the decisions. Sometimes being a leader is about allowing other people to take the reins and lead a situation.”

Valenzuela also changed his major to meet his new goals.

“Like a lot of first-generation college students, I hadn’t seen what a professor of biology is all about,” Valenzuela said.

That changed at UCO. He came to see himself as someone who could contribute to a global community as both a scientist and a researcher and as someone with rich cultural, social and academic experiences to share.

Much of his transformation was tied to UCO’s Student Transformative Learning Record (STLR), in which he qualified in all five tenets of the program — Global and Cultural Competencies; Health and Wellness; Leadership; Research, Creative and Scholarly Activities; and Service Learning and Civic Engagement.

The STLR program, developed at UCO, has received national and international recognition for its ability to document student success with transformative learning. Students are challenged to develop a Student Transformative Learning Record that parallels their academic one.

Students like Valenzuela receive STLR credit by submitting STLR-tagged assignments and attending events, or serving in STLR-tagged student groups or out-of-class projects. They write and reflect on these experiences. Their levels of achievement are assessed and validated by a UCO faculty or staff member.

While the program helps graduates demonstrate to future employers that they have mastered more than required academic work, the program also helps students enrich their transformative journeys while at UCO.

Valenzuela went from a “skeptical participant to an engaged one during his first year,” wrote Liliana Renteria-Mendoza, UCO’s director of OKC Cultural Outreach and Diversity Strategies. She also was one who assessed and approved Valenzuela’s work for two of his STLR credits — Leadership, and Global and Cultural Competencies. “His identity flourished … he discovered that he has a passion for teaching and engaging students to become better versions of themselves, just as he has done.”

Camille Farrell is one of UCO’s assistant directors of STLR and another of Valenzuela’s STLR evaluators.

What impressed her about Valenzuela’s growth was his transformation into a “servant-focused leader” whose ability to voice his own vulnerabilities encourages others to follow his lead.

“Raistland has grown profoundly in his being comfortable in his own skin,” she wrote, noting that he had “struggled substantially with support in his personal life.”

However, his ability to share the difficulties of his own journey “helps create an environment where these students can be themselves and feel like they can be vulnerable and open up, too.”

Meaning, she said, that not only did he begin a journey for himself, but he found ways to bring others along with him.

To see a video of Raistland Valenzuela talking about his UCO experience, visit https://youtu.be/Ot1kqnbuPAs.

The Hispanic Success Initiative (HSI) at UCO is a program designed to promote a sense of belonging in the UCO and Oklahoma City communities and aims to positively impact the academic success and career possibilities for Central’s Hispanic student population. HSI includes faculty and staff mentorships, as well as peer mentorships, community events and activities, and service learning projects.=

From left to right, Camille Farrell and Liliana RenteriaMendoza present cords to Raistland Velenzuela in spring 2018.

Remembering, Serving, Succeeding

By Jarrett Jobe, Ph.D.

Sometimes, being able to get close to the heroic journeys of others gives insight into future possibilities. For UCO’s Jarrett Jobe, Ph.D., his tragic journey with a high school friend led him to take UCO students to Uganda for the last eight years. There, they’ve had the privilege of working with an internationally recognized humanitarian and seeing tangible results — including building and stocking a school library.

The journey that led me to Sister Rosemary’s work and Uganda started on a football field more than 20 years ago. I was fortunate enough to play alongside some outstanding athletes and young men at Westmoore High School. One of those teammates was an imposing offensive lineman named Brandon Whitten. He was physically gifted, maintained a tremendous work ethic, and everyone who knew him admired his outgoing and caring personality. I was a year younger than Brandon, and I still remember the words of encouragement and support he provided me as an underclassman trying to earn my position on the team.

Brandon’s talents led him to play football at the collegiate level and, like many high school friends and teammates, we all watched each other from a distance, proud of each other’s accomplishments and successes. Yet, when watching from afar, the reality of any person’s situation is difficult to understand. Brandon was struggling with prescription drug abuse, which began during his time in college. In 2002, at the age of 25, Brandon died in a motorcycle accident related to this abuse.

In the years following his death, Brandon’s father, Reggie, still devastated by the loss of his son, was encouraged by several friends to travel to Uganda to experience the work they were doing and meet some individuals who were emerging from life’s most difficult and challenging circumstances.

Enter Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe and the women of St. Monica’s. After hearing their story and witnessing their determination, Reggie reignited his passion for serving others. He left Uganda committed to supporting Sister Rosemary and northern Uganda, but also to telling the story of Brandon and the risk of prescription drug abuse. This passion led him to create Pros for Africa and FATE (Fighting Addiction Through Education), two nonprofits based in Oklahoma.

It was through FATE that I was able to initially connect with Reggie. Reggie was visiting UCO through a partnership with our College of Education and Professional Studies, and I noticed several high school friends were involved in the program. After the program concluded, I had a brief conversation with Reggie. When he learned about my involvement with the Leadership program at UCO and my doctorate degree in international relations,

UCO student Lauren Clay visits with children at St. Monica’s Tailoring School in northern Uganda.

he said, “You need to get involved with Pros for Africa — if you want to see a real leader, an international leader, you need to meet Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe.”

Over the next 48 hours, I read and watched everything I could about Sister Rosemary and her work in northern Uganda. There is not enough space to write about Rosemary’s efforts and experiences in supporting some of the most marginalized people in the world during the civil wars in Uganda and Sudan. Persistence, patience, innovation, grace, forgiveness and love are just a few of the words that come to mind when I think of Rosemary.

I learned more about Pros for Africa and the development of international trips to support Sister Rosemary. I also discovered a childhood friend, Jeff Hargrave, was working as the director of the program in Oklahoma. There were too many stars aligning to ignore the opportunity to engage with their work.

Working in leadership development the past 10 years has taught me an important lesson. Authentic leadership — the type of leadership which inspires, teaches and

changes the world — is difficult to find. When you see this type of leader, you gravitate towards this person; you look forward to your next opportunity to work

and learn from them; and, they change your perspective. Sister Rosemary is this type of leader. The other sisters at St. Monica’s, I have discovered, are, too. I wanted our students to experience and learn from these women.

During my time at UCO in the Leadership office, I have continually searched for opportunities to provide our students with international experiences focused on service, leadership and global competencies. This is a difficult proposition, as you want to be sure to provide worthy work and support, as well as avoid the exploitation of communities you are visiting. St. Monica’s in Uganda provided the perfect opportunity to potentially develop a sustainable, shortterm, international experience.

I have been fortunate to travel to a number of countries across the world and experience some amazing cultures and people. Yet, when we began our first visit to Uganda with UCO students and staff, I felt a nervousness I had not felt for some time. Much of this nervousness was born out of the hope of a sustainable and meaningful partnership with Rosemary

UCO’s Jarrett Jobe, Ph.D., and Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe pose at St. Monica’s compound in northern Uganda, founded by her to shelter women and their children, victims of war.

UCO students who made their first journey to Uganda in spring 2018. Second row, first from left, is UCO professor Jessica Appleby, Ph.D., who also made her first trip. The students completed UCO’s fifth trip to support Sister Rosemary’s work.

and St. Monica’s. Rosemary is a global figure, her accomplishments imposing, and I was not sure how we would be able to support her work effectively.

With our first visit, our focus was to help with some construction projects in Atiak, a town about 43 miles north of Gulu, where St. Monica’s and the Sisters of the Sacred Heart were building residence facilities for women and children attending their school. Our work did not change the world those two weeks — we sanded, painted and tiled. However, the relationships that developed during this time created an opportunity.

One evening during our visit, Rosemary invited me to sit down with all of the sisters to discuss future opportunities for UCO and St. Monica’s. Listening to the needs and requests of the sisters was daunting, if not overwhelming. A litany of needs were covered — funds to hire teachers and medical personnel, facilities for children and women staying at different locations across north and northwest Uganda, educational materials including books, and medical supplies to provide sound health care. With UCO’s great history in education and teaching, I gravitated toward the literacy and learning aspects of the conversation. What if we could support a library? The decision was quickly made — yes.

Over the next two years, students from UCO and East Central University worked toward this goal. Books were collected; funds were raised; and construction support — including sanding, painting and tiling again — culminated in the children and adult literacy library in St. Monica’s opening in summer of 2017. More

than $20,000 was raised by students, UCO faculty and staff, and supporters of St. Monica’s for this project. This past year, through the work of engaged students and our second Sister Rosemary Gala, another $10,000 was raised to begin construction of a maternal health clinic and primary school, another growing need of the Atiak community. Our most recent trip required brickmaking and foundation work for these projects.

Our progress has been sustained by the continuous efforts and work of numerous individuals. These efforts have required patience,

In 2014, Sister Rosemary was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people. For the last 30 years, she and the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus have worked to shelter, educate and provide job training for the women and children caught in the violent civil wars in northern Uganda and South Sudan. Many were victims of Joseph Kony and the infamous Lord Resistance Army. These women — and their children — became social outcasts, but not at St. Monica’s. To learn more about Sister Rosemary and her work, visit www.sewinghopefoundation. com or www.fate.org.

UCO students, who made the journey to Uganda in May 2018, surround the brick-making machine that they used to prepare materials for new projects of St. Monica’s. With them are Ugandan contractors, as well as Sister Rosemary, fourth from right.

planning and an unwavering commitment to working through uncertainty and various challenges. Yet the thread that holds all of this together, the center of the success, is a woman who through improbable odds has made achieving success a habit. She’s a woman with few peers, who displays what I call a tenacious, unbounded love of others — Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe.

All journeys have a beginning and end — the nature of a journey. We often don’t know when a particular journey commences or when the final steps will be taken. All we can do is take each step toward an unknown future, while recognizing the people and places that have been a part of this journey and the memories shared with each one. My hope is to continue the legacy of some of the most inspired and authentic leaders I have ever met. To work alongside individuals who have committed to serve others, with no prejudice or judgment. To continue to provide support for Sister Rosemary and St. Monica’s, to encourage students and our communities to recognize authentic leadership and aspire to provide the same.

Jarrett Jobe, Ph.D., UCO’s assistant vice president of Public Affairs, has taken about 50 UCO students to work with Sister Rosemary.

What UCO Students Said

Every effort UCO provides in partnership with Sister Rosemary grows into something even more remarkable than originally imagined. Sister Rosemary is a one-of-a-kind leader to work alongside, and she shares immense wisdom with everyone she encounters. Through my experiences in Uganda, I have learned about the power one individual has to contribute to solving a world issue. The student interest at St. Monica’s has become exponential, and it is so encouraging to see this opportunity continue.

— Katie Richard (BS ‘18, BBA ‘18) of Quincy, Illinois

My time spent in Uganda was incredible — the kind of experience that changes your life forever. I cannot even put into words the impact that the country, and the people who inhabit it, had on my heart, my life and my future. My passion for people living in underdeveloped countries was further ignited as I got to spend my days living life the way the people in Gulu do; each day I spent in the country, and each soul that I met, inspired me to pursue my vision and spend the rest of my life alongside others who are promoting the support and advancement of this country that is so dear to me.

— Lauren Clay, a 2018-19 senior from Blanchard, Oklahoma

UCO students from a 2017 trip to Uganda stand outside the completed library that they helped build and supply with books for St. Monica’s Tailoring School in Gulu, Uganda.

New STEM Building Honors Betz

UCO’s newest building has been named the Donald Betz STEM Research and Learning Center, in honor of UCO President Don Betz, who will be retiring June 30.

The Regional University System of Oklahoma (RUSO) board of regents approved the naming in September, recognizing Betz’s 48 years of contributions to higher education and his service to UCO as president since 2011.

The STEM building added 56,000 square feet of learning space for the campus and for the highly-sought STEM majors. The new space is expected to allow increased STEM enrollment, following its recent opening in November.

In August, President Betz received the Oklahoma Political Science Association’s lifetime achievement award in honor of his lasting contributions in leadership, research and mentorship – specifically his outstanding contributions to political science and his distinguished record of public service.

RUSO is currently conducting a national search for the university’s next president.

Who’s Reading What on Campus

For the fall semester, the Department Chairs’ book group is reading “The Undergraduate Experience.” The E4E (Empowerment for Excellence) book clubs have been reading “Big Magic” and “The Influential Mind.” Members of the 21st Century Pedagogy Institute (all faculty) have been studying all the books shown except “Big Magic” and “The Undergraduate Experience.”

Shown above are, from left, RUSO Regents Susan Winchester and Mark Stansberry, President Betz, and Regent Amy Ford at approval of UCO’s STEM building being named in honor of retiring President Betz.

UCO Professor Melville “Mel” Vaughan became friends with author David Grann, with whom Vaughan shared part of his family history, now included in the best seller, soon to be a movie.

Vaughan Family Hero

By Gypsy Hogan

Melville Vaughan, Ph.D., a biology professor at UCO for 15 years, grew up in such a family. His grandfather, although not Native American, is counted among the Osage murders of the 1920s in Oklahoma’s Osage County. It was a time when Osage tribal members, by virtue of large deposits of oil found beneath their land in northeastern Oklahoma, were among the nation’s wealthiest per capita — and the world’s most murdered.

Last year, David Grann, staff writer for The New Yorker, released his book, “Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI.” Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio now are developing a film adaptation of the best seller, which tells not only about the deadly schemes of non-Osage to gain access to Osage wealth, but also how the development of the FBI played into the scenario.

In 1994, another book — “The Deaths of Sybil Bolton” — was released, written by Dennis McAuliffe Jr., a reporter for The Washington Post. The book followed his efforts to find out how his Osage grandmother died in 1925 and who killed her — questions never answered for many Osage families about their relatives.

Both books detail the corruption of attorneys, law enforcement officers, court-appointed guardians — even spouses and parents — all people expected to protect the Osage, but who instead stole their money, even if it required murder.

Both books also tell about the death of a 54-year-old Pawhuska, Oklahoma, attorney named W. W. Vaughan, although McAuliffe mistakenly left out the second “a” in the name Vaughan. Attorney W. W. Vaughan is professor Vaughan’s grandfather.

Some heroic journeys are the stuff of family history, told around the holiday table or talked about late at night among those who still grieve, heard by those who will always wonder.

Growing up, the professor knew little about his grandfather. “All I had ever heard was about him dying and his body being found near Tryon,” Vaughan said, referring to a small town about 60 miles northeast of Oklahoma City. “Anytime I’d hear the name Tryon, I’d get a bad feeling, just knowing that’s where they found him.”

Like many, Vaughan became more interested in family history with the birth of his first child. So, before graduate school, he spent parts of 1989-91 researching — and finding more than he imagined.

Before coming to Oklahoma, his grandfather’s early practice of law involved personal injury cases in Kentucky, where the young lawyer evidently found himself going against bigger forces. “The family story is that he was going to be killed if he stayed in Kentucky,” Vaughan said. “His boss was killed.”

So, the Kentucky lawyer came to Anadarko, Oklahoma, in 1903, to continue his practice of personal injury law. He was elected district attorney a couple of times, Vaughan said, and he met and married a young woman who was also from Kentucky.

By 1913, however, reality hit.

“According to my Uncle Bill, they moved from Anadarko to Pawhuska because my grandfather couldn’t make enough money in Anadarko. He was told he could make a lot of money in Pawhuska. That was too bad,” Vaughan said, knowing that 10 years after landing in Pawhuska to work for an oil company, his grandfather would be murdered.

The professor researched newspaper and courthouse files, in addition to interviewing family members and collecting bits and pieces of information they had.

Then, in 2010, he got a call from a cousin.

“All that stuff you’ve been gathering? Bring it,” she said. “He wants to see.”

“He” was the author Grann, who was doing research for “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Grann and Vaughan, both researchers at heart, messaged back and forth and met several more times from 2010-14.

Meeting the first time in the historic Skirvin Hotel in Oklahoma City, Vaughan showed Grann newspaper articles about his grandfather’s body being found, a copy

of his death certificate and an informant’s statement to the FBI. The informant maintained that the attorney Vaughan had claimed to have enough evidence to put Osage County businessman and rancher Bill Hale “in the electric chair.” Hale was later convicted of another murder. No one was ever charged or convicted of attorney Vaughan’s murder.

Thanks to Grann, however, professor Vaughan thinks he has a better idea of what

happened on June 28, 1923, when his grandfather was murdered. ***

On that day, lawyer Vaughan received a call saying that a well-known Osage tribal member — George Bigheart — was in an Oklahoma City hospital, poisoned and facing death. He had information that he would trust only to Vaughan, his attorney

Above is a family photo that UCO’s professor Vaughan discovered during his research. Seated are his grandparents and five of their 10 children, including Vaughan’s father, seated in his mother’s lap. Most significant, none of the Vaughan children had a photo of their father until this was discovered in a box of photos now owned by a cousin.

and friend. Would he please come immediately? Vaughan caught the next train.

Earlier that month, Vaughan told his wife, Rosa, that if anything should happen to him, she was to go to a certain hiding place, where he had placed money for her and the children, along with incriminating evidence that she should give to authorities, according to family members.

In researching his book, Grann gained access to FBI investigative files, including statements from informants and grand jury records that were inside other files Grann requested.

According to Grann’s research, there were others in the hospital room when Vaughan arrived, but Bigheart asked them to leave. He then gave Vaughan incriminating information and documents. Vaughan remained with Bigheart until he died a few hours later. As Vaughan prepared to return to Pawhuska, he called the new Osage County sheriff to say he was returning with enough information to convict the murderers of Bigheart and others.

According to newspaper accounts, Vaughan was joined at the train by a business associate, H.G. Burt, who said, “I got on the train with him, but he wasn’t there when I got off.” Burt, a Pawhuska bank president, said the two parted ways on the train, each off to a sleeper car. However, Vaughan’s sleeper car later showed no evidence of being used.

Newspaper accounts tell how the Boy Scouts and bloodhounds were used to search for Vaughan along the train route. Thirty-six hours after the search began, his naked body was found along the train tracks. However, no notes or incriminating documents were found.

And, when Vaughan’s widow, Rosa Vaughan, went to the hiding place, there was nothing there — neither evidence nor money. She was left alone to support 10 children. Before her husband’s death, the couple had been planning for their four oldest children to attend college. Instead, the oldest went to work as a stenographer to help support the family. Another child went to live with an Osage family who were friends of the Vaughans. Another went to live with an aunt and uncle in Varden, professor Vaughan said.

As for banker Burt, Grann’s research linked him to several schemes to defraud and murder Osage tribal members, including his probable involvement in the death of Bigheart and attorney Vaughan.

“He certainly makes a compelling case,” professor Vaughan said of Grann’s account. ***

For professor Vaughan, a highlight of his personal research is a family photo he found while going through boxes of family photos belonging to an uncle and a cousin.

“There was a photo of both my grandmother and grandfather with some of their kids,” the professor said. His father was in his grandmother’s lap with his twin sister standing between her parents. “All my aunts and uncles were amazed — they had never seen a photo with my grandfather in it. He always took the photos.”

For Vaughan’s family, the fear they experienced following the unresolved death of his grandfather and the hard days that followed were diminished with the discovery of this photo. And, now, it’s in a national best seller — page 95 of Grann’s book.

“Really, my grandfather was collateral damage. I wasn’t sure he would be in the book — still not sure he would be in a movie,” he said recently. “I feel good that my participation helped him (Grann) make a good book and now, hopefully, a good movie.”

He also feels good about helping his family and others know more about his grandfather.

“I often wonder if anyone ever tried to bribe him and get him to be in on the take. I never heard any of that,” Vaughan said. “There were lawyers who were, but knowing my family, they all have been interested in serving others, being truthful and just. My dad was a lawyer, and he was very much like that — always erred on the side of being truthful, doing the right thing.”

In a recent interview with Grann, he said his research makes him think W.W. Vaughan was trying to do the right thing and was murdered for it. Most convincing to him, he said, is the fact that Osage families were willing to help with the Vaughan children after their father’s murder.

For Melville Vaughan, there still are other unanswered family mysteries.

He looks forward to a time when he can do more research on his grandfather. “I’d like to research why he left Kentucky, what that was about.”

Bigger Questions

Melville “Mel” Vaughan, Ph.D., besides teaching biology, runs a research lab at UCO where students help him study a rare condition called Dupuytren’s contracture. Dupuytren’s cause is unknown, but those who have it lose the ability to straighten their fingers, most often the ring and pinky fingers, which contract toward the palm of the hand.

Vaughan began researching Dupuytren’s while working on his doctorate degree. Because it’s so rare, the big research centers don’t look at it because there’s no funding, he said. That frees Vaughan to do research, involving undergraduate and graduate biology majors.

“The students use lab protocols, all the techniques they learn in class. It also helps them learn creative problem-solving and critical thinking,” he said.

And, some day, they may crack the mystery.

Question: Best Heroes Have Flaws?

By Joe Hight

Iusuallyfind that the most heroic characters in books are the most flawed, too.

I made that statement to author Constance Squires, who teaches creative writing at UCO, during a recent lunch to discuss her upcoming book. I shared my belief that characters of books are a refreshing contrast to the barrage of advertising, social media, TV and other messages that we receive daily about perfect people pushing their perfect ways to be accepted, successful, physically fit or beautiful.

That’s when she made a statement I’ll never forget: “The act of trying to be perfect introduces the most gaping of imperfections.”

As I read her latest novel, “Live from Medicine Park,” I find proof of what she said in the character Ray Wheeler, a filmmaker striving to make a documentary about an aging Oklahoma singer named Lena Wells. However, his imperfections are vast: He doesn’t really care about Wells. He’s being sued. He’s been fired as a college adjunct. He’s awkward at small talk. And he makes a horrible first impression on Wells at a reception she throws in his honor.

And that’s just the beginning of the book.

It’s hard for me to relate to movie and TV reality stars, models and celebrities with millions of social media followers. But I can sure relate to Ray Wheeler, mainly because this fictional character has flaws just like the rest of us.

As Constance said, those types of characters “make you feel more human. We are way more complicated” than those advertising messages tend to tell us.

Former UCO professor and author Sheldon Russell’s main character in his Hook Runyon series is fascinating beyond his fearlessness as a railroad detective. He’s missing an arm, smokes and sometimes drinks heavily, could be mistaken at times for a hobo, and lives in a railroad car that bulges with books that he collects. In David Baldacci’s “Memory Man,” Amos Decker is more than a private detective and FBI agent. He has a perfect memory because of a head injury he suffered during his first NFL football game, dresses and eats poorly, is awkward in any social situation, can’t sleep at night and constantly wanders into precarious situations.

Then, there’s the character Starr Carter, fascinating beyond being a black high school student with a white boyfriend. She’s the teenage heroine in Angie Thomas’ novel, “The Hate U Give,” which has been made into a movie premiering this fall.

Starr, caught between two worlds, struggles

to find her voice. She acts one way in the mostly white private school where her parents send her and the other in her own mostly black neighborhood where gangs are prevalent. The worlds ultimately collide when her childhood friend is shot and killed by a police officer.

Good nonfiction books also provide good examples.

Ron Chernow’s “Alexander Hamilton” was fascinating beyond a character who was a famous American and founding father. Hamilton was brilliant, but flawed, with a bad temper, a personality that created enemies, feelings of inadequacy because of his upbringing and bad judgment, that ultimately cost him his life.

Zora Neale Hurston’s “Barracoon/The Story of the Last ‘Black Cargo,’” was fascinating beyond her main character being the last surviving African of the last American slaver. She revealed in Cudjo Lewis’ own words the struggles in his African culture that caused his slavery and the personal conflicts in his own life as a free man in this country.

Sam Anderson’s entertaining “Boomtown” reveals his main character’s many mistakes and issues, flaws that turned Oklahoma City into what Anderson calls “one of the great weirdo cities of the world” with its own NBA basketball team.

In my own personal life, while writing the upcoming RoadRunner Press book about Father Paul Hight, I found his own flaws revealed flaws in systems that he faced. Those included the Roman Catholic Church that laicized him, the mental health institutions that sought to treat him and the criminal justice system that eventually led to his death in 2000. He became much more than the older brother and Catholic priest I idolized while I was growing up.

So, if you are becoming increasingly bored and irritated by perfection messages, find a good novel or nonfiction or poetry book, including those written by our many talented Oklahoma writers. There you will find refuge in the heroic characters and the many flaws that make them fascinating beyond a title or fame.

Joe Hight is a Pulitzer Prize-winning and Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame editor who is UCO’s Edith Kinney Gaylord Chair of Journalism Ethics. He also is director of the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame and president of Best of Books in Edmond, whose own book is due for release in February.

Needing More than a Roof

By Lorene A. Roberson

At Positive Tomorrows, teachers and staff grapple with problems that stretch beyond the idea of what a school is supposed to be. UCO students and faculty are finding ways to help.

However, the Positive Tomorrows school in Oklahoma City tries to help students and their families with these basic needs and more. That’s its mission as the only school in Oklahoma that serves homeless children.

The school has a daily capacity of 74 students in pre-K through fifth grade, serving about 150 different students a year. Altogether, they’re a small drop in the estimated 9,500 homeless children in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area and the more than 43,000 in the state. They live in hotels, parks, abandoned buildings, cars and shelters. Or, if they’re lucky, they may be crammed into an apartment, staying temporarily with relatives or family friends.

“Seeing kids and their families bounced repeatedly from shelter to shelter is heartbreaking,” said 2016 Central alumna Ericka Kennedy, the school’s extracurricular and after-school program coordinator. “You can’t build your life when you are worrying about food, shelter and other basic needs.”

Kennedy, along with students and faculty from UCO’s Department of Human Environmental Sciences (HES), are working together to make life brighter for children at Positive Tomorrows.

Why Not?

Tucked into a neighborhood that’s crumbling in some parts while also experiencing urban redevelopment, the Positive Tomorrow’s school location is confidential. The program depends heavily on other nonprofit organizations, for-profit organizations, corporations and individuals to meet its mission of educating homeless children and their families.

Kennedy’s job is to find after-school projects for the students. She remembered seeing what she calls “awesome paper mannequins” in the halls of Central’s Human Environmental Sciences building when she was working on a degree in family life education. She wondered if her students couldn’t make paper dresses out of unconventional materials.

So she turned to Susan Miller, Ed.D., UCO professor of fashion marketing, to see if she would be interested in showing the Positive Tomorrows students how to recreate the paper clothing.

Miller saw the opportunity to take the idea further. Why not turn Kennedy’s request into a professional project for all HES students — not just fashion marketing majors? So, Miller approached Phi Upsilon Omicron, a national honor society for HES students.

And thus, the idea of simply making paper dresses in Positive Tomorrow’s after-school camp became a major initiative for the

Shoes and clothes are not usually on the list of things a school provides students. Nor three square meals. Nor a place to sleep. Nor soap, shampoo and toothpaste.

From left are UCO faculty member Susan Miller, Ed.D.; UCO student Marcos Rodriguez; Susan Agel, president of Positive Tomorrows; and UCO alumna Ericka Kennedy, Positive Tomorrows coordinator.

student organization. Family life education majors, nutrition majors and fashion marketing majors all took part.

Marcos Rodriguez, a fashion marketing senior and vice president of the organization, agreed to lead the effort.

“These are kids who don’t often feel they can achieve their dreams. So much of their family life revolves around survival, so dreams can seem extravagant,” Rodriguez said. “We wanted to encourage the kids to follow their dreams regardless of their circumstances. The kids are all absolutely capable of accomplishing great things.”

Unusual Beauty

The UCO students worked on the project for more than two months, eventually deciding to create three stations, each corresponding to a learning situation:

• Fashion marketing students would help kids express creativity;

• Family life education majors would show how to cope with stress; and,

• Nutrition majors would teach healthy snack habits.

They developed a three-day camp, March 13-15, which they orchestrated during the regular after-school program at Positive Tomorrows. About 25 kids in third through fifth grades participated.

Kennedy said her young students “went to town” on the project.

At the fashion marketing station, youngsters sculpted Christmas wrapping paper into dresses, which Miller calls a form of art. “In my classes here on campus, I have students create dresses and costumes from other mediums such as vinyl banners, plastic and cardboard. It is a way of expressing creativity through the use of paper instead of fabric,” Miller said.

Family life education students showed the students how to create an emoji stress ball using a balloon and a dab of flour. They then played a game where they imitated animals displaying emotions.

Twister, a board game noted for using people as game pieces, had a different twist put on it by UCO’s nutrition students. They decided to call out food groups instead of colors. They also had their young charges plan healthy meals by placing food

— made from felt — onto plates.

“The kids were so happy. It was incredible, and it was great to see each child encouraged and supported by UCO students,” Kennedy said. “Our kids really needed this creativity — and what better opportunity to provide that than with a chance to work with college students?”

Miller, now in her tenth year of working with Phi Upsilon Omicron, said she is proud of her Central students. Funds for paper dresses and nutritional foods came from UCO’s Fashion Troupe and Nutrition Club. Central students also reached out to the on-campus Barnes & Noble, which donated 25 new books to Positive Tomorrows.

Watching the children each select a brand new book brought “tears to her eyes,” Miller said.

Positive Tomorrows staff members are looking forward to fall 2019 when they will move into a new 36,000-square-foot building just a few miles away from their current location. The school then will be able to serve 125 students from pre-Keighth grade. The new building is the result of a $10.2 million fundraising campaign, said Susan Agel, the school’s president and principal.

Kennedy also has found a home in Positive Tomorrows.

“This was my first job out of UCO. I was fortunate to find a job that I fell in love with,” she said. “I don’t see working with these kids as a sad story or them having a sad life. I see my job as bringing smiles to the kids and their families. It’s incredible — it really is.”

— Lorene A. Roberson is a former UCO employee and now friend of UCO’s College of Education and Professional Studies.

Positive Tomorrows is one of 58 partner agencies that receive funding from the United Way of Central Oklahoma.

Photos of children at Positive Tomorrows are courtesy of the agency.

Conducting a Lasting Tribute

When UCO President Don Betz announced in June that he would be retiring at the end of the 2018-19 academic year, the College of Fine Arts and Design was especially touched. Betz, UCO’s provost from 1999-05, was the top academic person who helped shepherd the college into being in 2001.

And when Betz returned as UCO’s 20th university president in 2011, it was the School of Music that started the tradition of hosting an annual President’s Concert, showcasing the talents of each of its divisions, while sharing the school’s major accomplishments.

So, when the fall 2018 event opened, it was no surprise that the concert would be a poignant one, honoring a man deeply involved in the School of Music’s development, someone whose support and commitment as UCO president will be missed.

However, Brian Lamb, D.M.A., director of the School of Music, kept one surprise until the very end.

The concert series has a tradition of ending with the wind symphony performing on stage, then joined by all the other evening’s student performers. Members of the UCO Symphony Orchestra, Concert Chorale, Jazz Ensemble I, Musical Theatre, Opera, Piano and the Brisch Center for Historical Performance — they fill the front of the stage area, spilling into the aisles with clapping and singing. Audience members are pushed to their feet, joining in the fun and excitement.

This year, however, was even bigger.

Lamb, after again noting gratitude for all of President Betz’s support, described how

important it felt to give this man something like never before, something “intangible,” never to be forgotten.

“One of the biggest adrenaline rushes that any band director will ever experience is standing in front of a band playing our national march, ‘The Stars and Stripes Forever.’ The piccolo solos, the brass, the rush of the enthusiastic crowd. Tonight, this adrenaline rush will be yours,” Lamb said.

And, so it was, that on the evening of Sept. 18, President Betz found himself on stage, a conductor’s baton in hand, leading the wind symphony in John Philip Sousa’s most rousing music.

Afterward, with a big smile, President Betz was ever the gracious honoree, thanking everyone for such a wonderful evening. Those in his office the next morning, however, reported that he was still animated and thrilled, describing the incredible experience.

A Record of Excellence

Since its inception, UCO’s Student Transformative Learning Record (STLR) has earned accolades across state and national borders. Most recently, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) named Central one of its 2018 Excellence and Innovation Award winners, highlighting the UCO STLR program and its role in student success and retention.

For its work with STLR, UCO received the Student Success and College Completion Award. A reflection of student success though the program was captured among a group of first-time, first-year students, comprised of low-income, first-generation and/or underrepresented students – all of whom participated and completed STLR. The group’s students began at UCO in fall 2015, with retention among the group increasing 13 percent. Additionally, student grade point averages within the group had an average increase of 0.56 points.

Many Spring 2019 graduates will comprise the first group of students who will leave Central with four years of STLR experiences alongside their earned bachelor degrees.

UCO accepted the Student Success and College Completion Award for its STLR program during AASCU’s 2018 Excellence and Innovation Awards ceremony. Pictured from left are Dana G. Hoyt, Ph.D., president of Sam Houston State University and past-chair of the AASCU Board of Directors; UCO President Don Betz; Jeff King, Ed.D., Central’s executive director of the Center for Excellence in Transformative Teaching and Learning; and AASCU President Mildred García, Ed.D.

A Legacy of Excellence

More than one AASCU award has Central connections this year, as Central alumnus Lane Perry, Ph.D., (BS ’05 MEd ’06) accepted one of the 2018 Excellence and Innovation Awards on behalf of Western Carolina University (WCU). Perry currently serves as the director for WCU’s Center for Service Learning, which helps facilitate the university’s Student Democracy Coalition – an organization focused on increasing student civic engagement. The coalition registered more than 3,100 students to vote, established a campus early voting poll that raised WCU’s voter turnout rate by 16 percent and held an election watch program with nearly 500 attendees. For their work, Perry and WCU earned the Civic Learning and Community Engagement Award.

Pictured from left are Dana G. Hoyt, Ph.D., past-chair of the AASCU Board of Directors; Western Carolina University Interim Chancellor Alison Morrison-Shetlar; Lane Perry, Ph.D.; and AASCU President Mildred García, Ed.D.

Honoring

Our Own

For more than 50 years, UCO has honored its most outstanding alumni with the Distinguished Alumni Award. This prestigious, annual award recognizes alumni who have become world-class ambassadors of UCO. Distinguished Alumni Award recipients have demonstrated distinctive and notable accomplishments in their careers and professional lives, as well as service to their communities and to the university.

Each of the 2018 Distinguished Alumni Award recipients received recognition during the annual awards ceremony, Oct. 5, 2018, part of Central’s Homecoming Week.

This year’s six Distinguished Alumni Award recipients are Marjorie Bennett (BS ‘39); Mike Collison (BA ‘91); Alisa Green (BS ‘08); Bill Pink, Ph.D. (M.Ed. ‘94); Joli Sanders (MFA Interior Design); and J. Michael Steffen (BS ‘72). Read more about the honorees in the following pages.

2018 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD

Marjorie Bennett (BS ’39)

At 101 years old, Marjorie Bennett has spent nearly half a century devoted to being a public educator.

Born Aug. 17, 1917, in Hennessey, Oklahoma, Bennett’s career involved 43 years teaching English, Latin, literature, debate and speech in high schools and colleges in Oklahoma, Colorado and Pennsylvania.

She graduated from UCO in 1939 with a Bachelor of Arts in speech. She received a master’s degree from Colorado State University in 1944, followed by a fellowship at Syracuse University. During her career, she received numerous accolades. In 1972, she was named Forensic Coach of the Year in the Greater Philadelphia Area. Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating recognized her efforts as a literacy tutor in Oklahoma. In a 1988 oral history interview conducted by the UCO Chambers Library, Bennett fondly recalled her Central educators, “real women of the strong professional type,” whom she admired.

Bennett is proud of the education she received at UCO and believes she has done her best to represent her alma mater throughout her long career, just like the UCO educators who inspired her.

In addition to educating others, Bennett has tirelessly served her community through participation in several civic organizations. She is a past president for both the United Methodist Women and the American Association of

University Women.

Bennett has three children — Beth, Ben and Debbie — with six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. She resides in her hometown of Hennessey.

2018 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD

Mike Collison (BS ’91)

Mike Collison credits his accounting degree from Central with launching him on a career he never imagined as a student.

Collison serves as the vice president and chief financial officer of The Oklahoma

Publishing Company – OPUBCO, which is a subsidiary of The Anschutz Group, based in Denver, Colorado. The Anschutz Group has businesses throughout the world and employs more than 50,000 people. OPUBCO was locally known for owning The Oklahoman, until late September when the paper was sold to Gatehouse

Media. OPUBCO, however, always has been a diversified holding company with varied interests. Current holdings include hotels, water rights, real estate, recreational railroads and breakfast food manufacturing. OPUBCO’s largest and most well-known asset is The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs.

Collison began his career in 1989 as an auditor with the accounting firm Arthur Andersen. He became a Certified Public Accountant in 1993, joining OPUBCO in 1995.

Today, Collison serves on the board of trustees for the Oklahoma City Community Foundation and is an honorary trustee of the UCO Foundation Board of Trustees, both of which facilitate charitable funding and support to the Oklahoma City and UCO communities, respectively.

He and his wife, Stephanie, enjoy volunteering at Heritage Hall High School in Oklahoma City where their youngest daughter, Tori, is a senior. Sydney, their oldest daughter, is a UCO nursing student, and middle daughter, Macy, is a childhood education junior at Oklahoma State University.

Collison encourages UCO students and alumni alike to get involved with the university, however that may be.

“You never know when a five-minute phone call will provide you an opportunity to serve the university in ways you did not think possible!”

2018 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD

Alisa Green (BS ’08)

Alisa Green is not one to remain idle when it comes to helping others. At UCO, she was involved with 26 student organizations and mentored inner-city school students in her spare time.

She shows no sign of stopping since graduation.

Green received a bachelor’s degree in corporate communications from UCO in 2008; however, she found herself drawn to the nonprofit sector.

“Why work to make others rich, when you can enrich others,” Green says. “Sometimes people measure success through money. I’ve found that if by working toward that you find yourself unhappy and unfulfilled, maybe you can work to enrich the lives of others instead.”

In 2015, Green founded the Oklahoma City affiliate of Dress for Success, a national nonprofit organization that provides professional workwear to disadvantaged women who are rebuilding their lives and getting back into the workforce.

Raised as the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants, Green understands the importance of community to overcome hardship. As a former Miss Asian UCO and a fourth runner-up for Miss Vietnam USA, she learned how to use her platform to empower others and address key issues

in her community.

In addition to Dress for Success, Green also helps with a wheelchair-adaptable summer camp for individuals with disabilities and neuromuscular diseases.

Green stays active and fulfilled through ministry, traveling, reading and writing. She and her husband, film director Brent Ryan Green, live in Oklahoma City.

2018 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD

Bill Pink, Ph.D. (M.Ed. ’95)

Bill Pink’s journey is one filled with a lifetime of commitment to education.

Having served more than 25 years as an educator, Pink was named the 10th president of Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC) in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in May 2017.

A native of Abilene, Texas, Pink received an associate’s degree from York College in Nebraska and a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma Christian University. In 1995, he graduated with his M.Ed. in secondary education from UCO before receiving his doctorate from the University of Oklahoma.

Pink was the associate dean for the UCO College of Education and Professional Studies from 2007 to 2011 before serving as vice president for academic affairs at Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City.

In 2015, Pink joined GRCC as vice president and dean of workforce development before being named its president. He is a member of the board of directors for the Goodwill of Greater Grand Rapids, the Boys and Girls Club of Grand Rapids and the Heart of West Michigan United Way.

Pink travels the country speaking on topics of faith, diversity, leadership, and economic and workforce development. As a former student-athlete, he maintains his body and soul through exercise, golfing, fishing and spending time with his family.

Joli Sanders (MFA Interior Design)

Houston native Joli Sanders has always been drawn to the interconnectedness of design and the psychology behind how environments impact people.

In 2014, Sanders established Focus on Home, an Oklahoma City-based nonprofit that works to provide design services, furnishings and home essentials free of charge to families who need assistance.

A single mother while in college, Sanders experienced firsthand the struggles of creating a warm home environment on limited resources. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Texas-Austin, she moved to Oklahoma City.

She then completed 40 hours of post-graduate coursework in Central’s interior design program. In 2000, she passed her qualifying exams to become a licensed interior designer.

Before Focus on Home, Sanders practiced commercial interior design in Oklahoma City for 11 years, primarily with the VanStavern Design Group. While running Focus on Home, Sanders continues to work as a design consultant.

Sanders and her husband, Cam, live in Oklahoma City with their children Remy, Cade and Sayer. Their two oldest children, Josselyn and Cole, also live in Oklahoma.

Since starting Focus on Home, Sanders has kept the following philosophy close to her heart.

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”

J. Michael Steffen (BS ’72)

Retired Oklahoma orthodontist J. Michael Steffen, DDS, MS, has helped spread smiles across the state since 1974.

Steffen (BS ’72) has given the gifts of confidence and orthodontics relief for thousands of patients through The Brace Place, the Edmond and Clinton, Oklahoma-based orthodontics practices he opened in 1974 and 1975, respectively.

After graduating from UCO with his bachelor’s in biology, Steffen obtained a degree from the University of Iowa College of Dentistry.

With a commitment to community service, Steffen served from 2014-15 as president of the Oklahoma Dental Foundation, a branch of the Oklahoma Dental Association focused on eliminating barriers to oral health care. He also has been a board member with both the Oklahoma City Rescue Mission and Reaching our City.

With gratitude to his alma mater, he has been a UCO supporter for more than 40 years. Steffen and his wife of 47 years, Kathryn, generously contribute to the university through philanthropy, scholarships, mentorship and volunteerism. He also serves on the UCO Foundation Board of Trustees.

In his retirement, Steffen is writing a

book, “Survival of Old Age,” and through this, he has had time to reflect on his life and his journey.

“It is important to share the knowledge you’ve gained before you are no longer

able to,” Steffen says. “If you have a chance to make a difference in a lot of people’s lives, why not?”

ALUMN i NOTES

Hermiston Herald, Blue Mountain Eagle and Wallowa County Chieftan. He is a 25year veteran of the journalism industry.

’70

Bill Archer (BBA ’70) this summer had his fourth novel hit the market, “Terminal Mortality.” A fifth work is autobiographical, “My Nine Year Hike with the Marines.” To view and/ or purchase Archer’s work, visit www.lulu. com/spotlight/billarcher.

Commission on Children and Youth, as well as the Oklahoma City Homeless Youth Alliance. She also has been involved with AmeriCorps since 2001.

’92

Joe Siano (MEd ’79) is now associate executive director of the Oklahoma State School Boards Association. Siano served as superintendent of Norman Public Schools from 2000 to 2017. He also previously served as an assistant superintendent in Oklahoma City Public Schools and Putnam City Public Schools.

’79

Lt. Col. Keith Varner (BBA ’92) recently retired after more than 30 years of service to the Oklahoma Army National Guard. He served in various leadership and staff positions, including national vice chair of the strength maintenance advisory group. He is an active member of the Society of Human Resources and the Oklahoma City Human Resources Society. He also serves as scoutmaster for the Boy Scouts of America, Troop 79, in Edmond.

’92

Steve Bradshaw (BBA ’82) was inaugurated as the 2018 chair of the Tulsa Regional Chamber of Commerce. He has served as the president and CEO of BOK Financial since 2014.

’82

John Shawareb (BA ’92) has joined Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Anderson Properties as a residential real estate agent in Piedmont, Oklahoma. Earning his real estate license last year, he previously worked as a licensed insurance broker.

’95

Greg Reber (BBA ’83) recently was promoted to senior vice president, chief distribution officer of the life insurance division for Pacific Life. He is now responsible for setting the strategic direction and management for distribution, sales and marketing functions.

’83

Gena Beeson (BAEd ’95) was named 2017-18 Deer Creek School District Teacher of the Year. She has taught at Deer Creek High School for seven years. Prior, she taught at Putnam City North High School for 15 years and Crescent Academy for one year.

’01

Randall Stephenson (BS ’84) was the featured speaker for the 103rd all-university commencement ceremony for Southern Methodist University. He is chair and chief executive officer of AT&T.

’84

Justin Coffelt (BSEd ’01, MEd ’10) has been named chief operating officer for the Edmond Public Schools board of education. He was formerly the director of facilities and district operations. He has worked in education for 15 years, all in Edmond.

’02

Jennifer Griffin (BSEd ’02) was named 2017-18 Teacher of the Year at Spring Creek Elementary in the Deer Creek Public Schools district. Prior to teaching in the Deer Creek district, she taught for five years in Moore Public Schools.

’04

Stacy Jones (BS ’04) has joined Berkshire Hathaway Anderson Properties as a residential real estate sales agent. He has been a real estate investor for two years. Prior, he worked in aircraft maintenance, supervision and engineering capacities at Tinker Air Force Base.

’04

Jacob Winkler, CPA (BS ’04, MBA ’07), was named a 2018 Trailblazer for The Oklahoma Society of Certified Public Accountants. Only 20 CPAs are selected for the honor each year.

’05

April Perry (BA ’05, MEd ’07)in August was named interim associate dean of Western Carolina University’s graduate school.

’06

Kari Hoffhines (BBA ’06) recently was promoted a director with Crowe & Dunlevy. She is a member of the firm’s banking and financial institutions, bankruptcy and creditor’s rights, real estate, and wind and renewable energy practice groups.

’90

Chris Rush (MEd ’90) has been named regional publisher and revenue director of the East Oregonian,

’02

Jacqueline Pereira-McDaniel (BA ’02) has joined Price Lang Consulting as senior project director. She currently serves the Oklahoma

Please send Alumni and In Memory notes to UCO, University Communications, 100 North University Drive, Box 198, Edmond, OK 73034, or email ucomm@uco.edu with “Alumni Note” in the subject line.

’09

Kali Pulliam (BSEd ’09) was named 2017-18 Teacher of the Year for Rose Union Elementary School in the Deer Creek School District. She is a kindergarten teacher.

’11

Jarod Conrady (BS ’11) has been appointed physical security solutions manager at United Systems. He has 20 years of experience in physical security, most recently specializing in proactive video analytics detection and monitoring.

’11

Joy Parduhn (BS ’11) recently joined Heritage Trust Co. as a senior trust associate and office manager. She will maintain the vendor management program and serve as the primary liaison between audit and staff. Prior, she served as chief operations officer/chief compliance officer at an independent registered investment adviser firm.

’12

Heather Zacarias (MEd ’12) was named the new director of elementary education at John Rex Charter School. She has been involved in education for more than two decades, most recently serving as principal of Adams Elementary School in Oklahoma City.

’12

Andrew Akufo (BFA ’12) has joined Healdsburg Center for the Arts as its first executive director. Prior, he served as executive director for the Lea County Commission for the Arts in Hobbs, New Mexico.

Opera’s production of “Souvenir: A Fantasia on the Life of Florence Foster Jenkins.” He played the part of Cosme´ McMoon in the Oklahoma City production.

’13

Austin Foust, CPA, (BBA ’13, BS ’13), recently was selected as a 2018 Trailblazer for the Oklahoma Society of Certified Public Accountants. Only 20 CPAs are selected for the honor each year.

’17Stephanie Robberson (MS ’17) was named an associate at Stinnett & Associates, a professional advisory firm. She has experience with several systems for use in digital evidence.

FACULTY/STAFF

’14

Mike Johnston (BS ’14) recently joined Edmond Public Schools as district safety coordinator. He will work closely with building principals and school safety committees in the coordination of safety programs. He also serves as a liaison with municipal authorities that include police and fire departments.

’15Shy Griffin (BS ’15) has been promoted to senior associate at BKD LLP. She is a member of the audit and assurance team, serving primarily financial institutions. She also has more than five years of previous experience with an Oklahoma-based community bank.

’16

Joey Harbert (BM ’16) performed in the Painted Sky

Nicole Willard (BA ’92, MA ’94), assistant executive director for the Chambers Library at Central, was appointed by Gov. Mary Fallin as chair of the Archives and Records Commission for the state of Oklahoma. Created in 1947, the commission is part of the Oklahoma Department of Libraries and has a five-member statutory board.

Kevin J. Hayes, UCO professor emeritus, has won the George Washington Prize, one of the nation’s largest and most prestigious literary awards, for his book George Washington: A Life in Books. The annual award recognizes the past year’s best written works on the nation’s founding era. He was announced as the winner in May at George Washington’s Mount Vernon.

Coley, Sunderland, New Hall of Famers

In May, the Oklahoma Athletic Trainers Association inducted Central graduate Brian Coley (BSEd ’90), left, and UCO Athletic Training instructor Ed Sunderland into the association’s hall of fame. Coley is a 1991 graduate of the United Sports Medicine Academy, and he has been a certified and licensed athletic trainer for 26 years. He currently works at Rogers State University and Catoosa High School. Sunderland has worked at UCO since 2007. He has more than 40 years of experience as a certified athletic trainer and is credited with helping to establish Central’s graduate athletic training program, the first in the state.

Athletics, New Famers

In October, the UCO Athletics Hall of Fame inducted six individuals and two teams into its Class of 2018. From left are inductees, Booker T. Washington (BSED ’61), who played basketball for Central from 1959-61; Lisa (Hansen) Tolin (BSEd ’03), who led the Broncho soccer team through a dominating stretch as she played 1999-02; Jim Seward, Central’s men’s basketball coach from 1987-02 with six Lone Star Conference championships; Willie Henderson, a four-year letterman who played on Central’s 1982 national football championship team; Shawn Fleming (BS ’91), a 1989 national championship wrestler on the Bronchos’

1987 and 1989 national championship teams; and Brian Melchiori (BS ’95), a two-time national wrestling champion at 126 pounds. Also inducted into the

Sigma Kappa Reunite, Announce House Expansion

More than 300 alumnae of the UCO chapter of Sigma Kappa sorority gathered in August in the Nigh University Center to mark 60 years on campus. Initiation years of the women spanned from 1959, when the university’s chapter of Pi Kappa Sigma was absorbed into Sigma Kappa, to present.

A $1 million capital campaign was announced to renovate and expand the existing sorority house at 920 N. Chowning Ave. More than $750,000 of the goal was raised during the campaign’s quiet phase. Lynn Gravitt Means (BA ’89, MEd ’91) and Christa Abbott (BS ’05, MEd ’10) are co-chairing the effort.

Stacy McNeiland (BA ’93) emceed the event’s program that featured the chapter’s history, a video, songs, stories and prayer. Tours of the house followed.

Among those present were Sue Craig and Eva Bucke Mears (BSEd ’61), both members of the original 1959 group. Also attending was Kathleen Henry (BA ’72), a 1969 initiate and a 1978 UCO Distinguished Alumni.

Class of 2018 Athletics Hall of Fame were the 1980-81 and 1981-82 wrestling teams, which won back-to-back national championship titles.

Sue Craig, left, and Eva Bucke Mears represented the 1959 class of Sigma Kappa initiates.

Architectural plans for the Sigma Kappa remodel and expansion are by Sam Gresham Architecture.

Chickering Restored

Thatcher Hall now houses a beautifully restored Chickering piano, circa 1936, that once graced the fellowship area of Murdaugh Hall. The piano was refurbished by the UCO Museum of Residential Life, with special funding from alumnus Dale Reeder, who died in August, said Randal Ice, Ph.D. Ice has shepherded the instrument to its new home. The piano was “quite beat up” after a possible 80 years in Murdaugh, Ice said, but the tiger-burled mahogany now shines, and the ivory keys are complete. Both Murdaugh and Thatcher halls were completed in 1937, during peak Depression years on campus and with funding from the Works

Progress Administration. So, it remains a mystery how such an expensive, quality instrument came to be on campus.

If anyone has additional information, please contact Ice at rdice@uco.edu or call 405-974-2157.

UCO Business professor Randal Ice, Ph.D., chaired efforts to restore the circa 1936 Chickering piano that resided in Murdaugh about 80 years.

Part of the piano’s mystery is that no one knows how such an expensive piano came to be on campus during the height of the Depression years, if that’s when the piano joined Murdaugh.

The UCO Museum of Residential Life provided funds for the piano’s restoration and placement in Thatcher Hall. The piano’s serial number denotes its manufacture around 1936.

Honoring Recently Retired Faculty

Saba Bahouth, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Information Systems & Operations Management, 29 years of service

Richard Bernard, Ph.D., Professor of History and Dean of the Jackson College of Graduate Studies, 10 years of service

John Bowen, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Chemistry, 18 years of service

Donna Carlon, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Marketing, 17 years of service

Siegfried Heit, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Humanities and Philosophy, 27 years of service

William Hickman, J.D., Professor, Department of Mass Communication, 21 years of service

Kurt Hochenauer, Ph.D., Professor, Department of English, 25 years of service

Donna Kearns, Ed.D., Professor, Department of Psychology, 25 years of service

Vaidya Sivarama Krishnan, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Finance, 11 years of service

Linda Steele, Ph.D., Professor, Department of English, 23 years of service

Oklahoma’s 2019 Teacher of the Year, UCO Leadership Student

Oklahoma’s 2019 Teacher of the Year is Becky Oglesby, who is currently pursuing UCO’s Master of Education degree in Educational Leadership. She is part of the Yukon/Mustang cohort that began in summer 2018 and will finish in spring 2020.

Oglesby is a Yukon elementary school art educator, known as the “Batman Teacher” because of all the comic book memorabilia in her classroom.

“Batman believed that one man could make a difference and took it upon himself to do so and, in turn, became a legend. I

want to be Batman,” Oglesby said in an interview following the announcement of her recognition. “I want to be the ordinary person who puts on the mask that hides the simplicity of who I am and fights to give my students the best education that empowers them to find their purpose.”

Oglesby remains in the classroom for the current school year, assuming full-time teacher-of-the-year duties July 1. These include speaking engagements and encouraging others to become or remain teachers while serving as Oklahoma’s goodwill ambassador for teaching.

Richard Bernard, Ph.D., at a retirement reception given in his honor in May, retired as dean of the Joe C. Jackson College of Graduate Studies. He held the faculty distinction of having attended grade school at Central’s Laboratory School, on campus from 1901-61 as a model training program for those in the College of Education and Professional Studies.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

MEN’S BASKETBALL

i N MEMORY

CORRECTION TO LAST ISSUE:

Robert Curley, Ph.D., died Nov. 5, 2017 in Oklahoma City. He retired in 2013 after teaching for 29 years, not 19 as previously reported.

corp. Along with his wife, he was a member of various metro Baptist churches, where he taught Sunday school and was an ordained deacon. Most recently, he was a member of Quail Springs Baptist Church.

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Linda McPherson Hamm Byrd (BSEd ’52) died Jan. 24, 2018, in Bossier City, Louisiana. She taught for 30 years in Oklahoma City Public Schools — at Westwood, John Adams and Heronville elementary schools. She retired in 1985, later moving to Shreveport, Louisiana, to retire with her sister.

Billy Coy (BA ’62) died Dec. 17, 2017. He served four years in the U.S. Air Force as an electronic technician. He worked as a bank vice president for almost five years before retirement. Later, he worked with his wife in the retail cosmetics business, then attended real estate school and worked in that industry for more than one year.

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Donald Abbott (BS ’54), died Jan. 27, 2018. He served in the U.S. Air Force, later working for the Oklahoma Department of Public Welfare. He also was active in the civil rights movement and was instrumental in the opening of Taliaferro Community Mental Health Center. In 1977, he was named social worker of the year by National Association of Social Workers. He became a board member of the University of Oklahoma School of Social Work in 2007.

Kathleen Longaker (BSEd ’63, MEd ’69), of Oklahoma City, died Feb. 9, 2018. She was a teacher in California and in Germany, later moving back to Oklahoma City. There, she taught until retirement and was recognized as Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers.

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Joyce Douglas (BSEd ’64, MEd ’77) died Jan. 6, 2018. She was an elementary school teacher until leaving to raise her family. She was an artist, singer and special education volunteer.

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Billy Long (BAEd ’58), of Yukon, died March 7, 2018. He was a teacher and coach at Putnam City and Carl Albert high schools. Later, he worked as a claims manager for Preferred Risk Insurance Co. He ended his career as an independent oil and gas producer under Long Royalty Co.

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George Baker (BAEd ’60) died Feb. 16, 2018, in Edmond. He was a member of the U.S. Air Force, serving as an airplane mechanic and prop specialist. He also participated in the drum and bugle

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Warren Griffin (BS ’65) died Jan. 6, 2018. From 1960-62, he served in the U.S. Army. After graduating from the University of Oklahoma Law School, he started his law practice in Midwest City and served as the city attorney. He traveled the western half of the United States to defend clients.

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George Dixon (BA ’68) died Dec. 28, 2017. After college, he began his career with Carpenter Paper Co. He retired as a sergeant from the Oklahoma City Police Department, where he worked as a park and lake ranger for 25 years.

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Norma Brooks (MEd ’72) died Dec. 31, 2017. She was employed at North American Insurance Co. for several years. Later, she served as the manager of the premium department at Reserve National Insurance Co.y. For three years, she worked at the Norman Municipal Court as the court clerk, then worked with her husband at his law firm for the rest of her career.

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Mickey Hoy (BSEd ’65), 75, died Sept. 9, 2018. Hoy played on Central’s 1962 national championship football team and was in the UCO Athletics Hall of Fame. In 2010, he received the UCO Distinguished Alumni Award. A teacher, coach and principal, he served in Tuttle, El Reno and Davis before returning to Marlow in 1988 as high school principal. Having won numerous state championships as a coach, he was also a member of the Oklahoma Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

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Richard Carllson (BBA ’72) died March 15, 2018, in Dallas. He served in the U.S. Army, honorably discharged as a first lieutenant. During college, he began his career selling insurance. Later, with his wife, they started Mutual Assurance Administrators in 1975.

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Edward Hedrick (BAEd ’73, MEd ’76) died Jan. 13, 2018 in Harve de Grace, Maryland. He joined the U.S. Army at age 16, serving more than 21 years. During that time, he completed two tours in Korea and two tours in Vietnam, achieving the rank of first sergeant and receiving several awards and decorations. He later worked as a teacher for El Reno Public Schools.

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Michael Mappes (BA ’74), of Midwest City, died March 6, 2018. He served in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War as a crew chief on a B-52. He later retired after 19 years of service at the Oklahoma Department of Welfare, where he worked as a child welfare and adult protective services investigator.

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Don Gammill (BA ’75) died Nov. 28, 2017, in Edmond. Working for Enid Publishing Co. as a writer, he covered northwest Oklahoma sports. He then served as managing editor, city editor and assistant city editor at the Enid Daily Eagle. Later, he worked for the Oklahoma Publishing Co. as state editor, special projects editor, columnist and online communities’ editor. During his journalism career, he received many awards for his work. He also taught News Room 101 and enjoyed helping high school students develop their skills.

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Donna Vontungeln (MEd ’76), of El Reno, died April 18, 2018. Retiring in 2001, she spent 30 years as an instructor, counselor and director of student services at Canadian Valley Technology Center. She was one of the first women elected to the Oklahoma Farm Bureau state board of directors and the first woman president of the El Reno Chamber of Commerce. She was active in several organizations including Mobile Meals of El Reno, Kappa Delta Sorority and Canadian County Lions Club.

Earl Thomas (BS ’80), of Edmond, died March 14, 2018. He began working for Tinker Air Force Base in 1968 and worked there for 32 years before retirement. He was passionate about serving at Edmond Church of Christ, where he was a member for more than 50 years.

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Bill Holyfield (BA ’80, MA ’85), of Edmond, died Jan. 22, 2018. He served as an Oklahoma highway patrolman for 30 years, retiring as assistant chief with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He was also a graduate of the FBI National Academy.

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Robert Bartrug (BS ’85), of Oklahoma City, died Feb. 16, 2018. Throughout his career, he worked for the Oklahoma Tax Commission as well as the Internal Revenue Service.

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David Puente (BA ’88) died March 26, 2018. He spent his career working in the criminal justice field, including as a federal correctional officer at El Reno Federal Prison. He was an active volunteer for many organizations and received a lifetime achievement award from the Oklahoma Universal Rights Alliance.

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Roy McNeely (BS ’88) died April 17, 2018. He served four years in the U.S. Army. He also operated, with his father, B&M Farm Supply in Oklahoma City. He worked in the farming industry throughout his career.

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Joseph Beckham (BS ’96) died Dec. 16, 2017. During his career, he worked in technology support at Raytheon in Wichita, Kansas. Later, he worked as a self-employed oil/gas landman.

Richard Stringfellow (BBA ’97) died April 12, 2018. He worked at Oklahoma City Community College for 25 years, retiring in 2017. He began his career there as a part-time employee, later serving as registrar and an adjunct professor.

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Rodney Brown (BA ’00) died Feb. 20, 2018. He was a graduate of Westmoore High School where he played on the 1994 state championship basketball team. He earned an economics degree from Central.

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Carrie Fischer (BSEd ’09) died Nov. 20, 2017. Recently, she was a fifth-grade teacher at Franklin Elementary School.

’13Memorial services for Jeffrey London (BA ’13) were March 1, 2018, in Edmond. He served in the Oklahoma National Guard for six years, including an active duty tour in 200607. After graduating from Central, he embarked on a two-month solo canoe trip down the entire Mississippi River. He also was ordained as a wedding officiant and performed many weddings.

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Devin Dymkowski (BS ’17), died Aug. 21, 2018. With a degree in industrial safety and management information systems, he worked for Air Comfort Solutions.

FACULTY/STAFF

Jack Beeson died Dec. 19, 2017, at age 92. He was director of admissions and records at Central from 1973-86.

Lillian Boland died Jan. 25, 2018, at age 99. She taught Spanish and humanities at Central for 30 years. She joined the Central faculty in 1958.

James Dechter, Ph.D., died Feb. 24, 2018. He taught chemistry and was a chair of the chemistry department during his 22 years at Central. He retired in 2016.

Kent “Doc” Kidwell, D.M.A., died July 22, 2018. He joined UCO in 1969 and pioneered the Jazz Studies program at Central in 1974, helping to further the development of jazz across Oklahoma while developing a national and international reputation for the UCO program. He was a member of the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame and was the principal trombonist for the Oklahoma Philharmonic for 20 years. In 1993, he was named Oklahoma Musician of the Year by the Oklahoma Federation of Music Cluns. Contributions in his memory may be made to the UCO Jazz Studies Division Support Fund to finance student scholarships, travel, instruments and guest artists/ educators. Contact the UCO Foundation.

David Martin, Ph.D., died Feb. 28, 2018. He taught physics at Central for 34 years, retiring in 2016.

Reeder Remembered

Dale Blaine Reeder (BA ‘63, MT ‘68), 80, died Aug. 22, 2018, in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Reeder was a principal for 30 years in the Oklahoma City school system. After retiring, he came to Central as an adjunct faculty member working with future teachers from January 1993 until May 2010. An active alumnus, he helped restore the dorm room in Thatcher Hall, home of the UCO Museum of Residential Life that he helped establish. The first Central Family of the Year Award was given to the Reeder family in 2001. At that time, they had 21 UCO college graduates dating back to the first enrolling in 1939. (See Chickering piano photos on page 35 for more on Reeder’s work.) Above, Reeder posed in fall 2012 for a cover of Old North magazine. He was showing young Billy Vega how he would type letters home while a student living in Thatcher Hall. He joked that “send money” was his No. 1 letter home.

Magazine Earns State Recognitions

UCO’S Old North magazine claimed several state awards at the 2018 Oklahoma College of Public Relations Association competition. The spring 2018 issue of Old North claimed second place in the magazine division. Three articles in 2017-18 Old North publications won recognition. Remembering T.C. Cannon claimed third place in the featurette category, while Bee Curious claimed third in the full-length feature division. Both were written by Old North editor Gypsy Hogan (BS ’74). The article “Health on Track” by Adrienne Nobles received third place in the full-length feature, human interest category.

Fall Flair —

Autumn arrived at Central seemingly all at once, leaving traces of color across campus. UCO students Stockton Duvall and Victoria Archer embrace the changing weather, with a joyful walk through Plunkett Park.

— Staff Photo by K.T. King UCO Photographic Services